Quaker Valley dethrones North Catholic to win Class 3A Trib Cup , Trib HSSN

Don Rebel TribHSSN Wed, Jul 10, 2024 • 04:40 PM

Quaker Valley girls display the trophy for winning the WPIAL Class 2A team track championship May 7 at Peters Township.

A year after seeing its three-year Trib Cup run end, Quaker Valley has ended the four-year run by North Catholic in Class 3A in the closest competition in the 2023-2024 school year.

The Quakers edged the Trojans by only 40 points to claim the school’s eighth Sports Cup (fourth most) and their first in Class 3A. QV previously won four cups in 4A and three in 2A.

"Always a tremendous source of pride for our student athletes and the entire athletic department as we all become one team,” Quaker Valley athletic director and boys basketball coach Mike Mastroianni said. "A big congrats to our student athletes who continue to be the driving force with their dedication and approach.”

The Trib Cup is a yearlong competition in 25 team sports to determine the top WPIAL sports program in each classification. It awards points for section or conference championships, district and state playoff berths and district and state championships and runners-up.

Quaker Valley produced points in 16 different sports, the most in Class 3A. The Quakers started strong in the fall with a WPIAL championship game appearance for the boys soccer team, then clinched the title with a big spring that included district crowns for the QV boys and girls track teams.

"Our track and boys soccer programs are both part of storied traditions at QV,” Mastroianni said. "They once again had outstanding seasons with both our girls and boys track teams capping it off with WPIAL championships on the same day.”

The chase for the 3A Cup was tight for a second straight year with the script being flipped this school year.

Last year, North Catholic ended Quaker Valley’s run by only 55 points, 470-415. This year, the Quakers scored 485 points while the third-place Trojans had 445 points.

"It was really a tremendous year across the board for all of our teams,” Mastroianni said. "We captured eight section championships and 16 of our teams advanced to the playoffs.

Avonworth takes second place by only five points over the Trojans thanks to district crowns in girls soccer and baseball.

It was another banner year for North Catholic, which settles for third place despite WPIAL championships in girls cross country and girls basketball along with baseball.

Rounding out the Top 5 in Class 3A was Shady Side Academy in fourth place and South Park in fifth place.